Forests are the lungs of our cities, the subject matter of Canada’s great painters, architects and writers. And, last year, forestry contributed $20 billion to Canada’s gross domestic product. Unlike oil, supply and demand in the forestry sector is likely to continue indefinitely into the future – given proper stewardship.

You would think Canadians would have special regard for trees, whether they’re providing income, urban oxygen or the green escape that recent mental health research concludes is vital to almost everyone.

So, I had a bit of a shock recently when, stopping by the elementary school where my mother worked for many years, I noticed that a tall blue spruce, one of her favourite trees and planted in her memory, was gone from the front of the building. The disappearance was the second time a blue spruce in that spot was destroyed, cut down by vandals. The first incident involved the members of a nearby frat house, on the hunt for a handy, free Christmas tree. (The school is near a major university.) After the first act of vandalism, the tree was replaced by the perpetrators; following the second occurrence, it was not. What school board has funds to replace a mature tree?

But, as we drove away, my son – who attended the school for many years – noted that the “big tree,” as it’s known among pupils, is still in fine form. Nestled into a far corner of the playground, and well over 100 years old, this freakishly massive maple has served as a gathering spot, teacher- free zone and general icon of school life for generations of kids. Fortunately, no one seems likely to take a chainsaw to it just yet, even though it could supply fine planks for someone’s kitchen floor.

In the small-minded misery of the current federal election campaign, being fought mostly as a personal popularity contest with little regard for records, policies or promises, how refreshing it would be to hear some of the main parties talking about the future management of one of the country’s most profoundly important resources.

Take the proposed Rouge River Valley national park, on Toronto’s eastern edge, still awaiting an agreement between Ontario and Ottawa on key points. Will any of the three mainstream parties commit to ensuring that this years-long spat over basics such as environmental protections for the Rouge forests – 95% of Canadian tree species are found there – is finally settled?

Will policies be crafted to improve access to urban canopies so that shady ravines are as readily available to those riding on transit as in private cars? Will university and college forestry and arboriculture departments receive support to study the potentially disastrous effects of climate change on forests, from the predations of insects that flourish in warmer weather (hello, emerald ash borer beetle) to the implications of new ranges for temperature and rainfall? The list goes on: maintaining biodiversity, improving global exports, responding to the concerns of First Nations.

And, while we’re at it, schools, businesses, governments and consumers could work harder to reframe the way they think about one of Canada’s greatest natural and spiritual resources.

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